Camlough and South Armagh remembers Raymond McCreesh

Michael Creesh, a brother of Raymond, at the commemoration

THE 30th anniversary of the death of Hunger Striker Raymond McCreesh was remembered at a very poignant ceremony on Sunday 5th June.
The commemoration took place, after the young Camloch man’s Anniversary Mass, at the Republican Plot in St Malachy’s Graveyard, where he is buried. The moving ceremony was attended by the McCreesh family, the local community and friends and comrades of the deceased IRA Volunteer and H-Block Hunger Striker.
The event organised was by the Camloch/Derrymore/Belleek 1981 Committee in conjunction with Raymond’s family and it saw the release of previously private letters and correspondence from Raymond.
The correspondence charted some different phases of the journey of the young respected Camloch man in prison and revealed in a very dignified manner much of the heartache, anger, frustration and focus of the period leading up to and including the 1981 Hunger Strike through the eyes of Raymond Mc Creesh himself.
The letters, provided by the McCreesh family, were read by Pat McGinn, Paddy Quinn, Tony Jennings and Brendan Lewis.
Aileen McElwee, a cousin of the late Tom McElwee who also died on Hunger Strike, and Paul Brennan added to the occasion with their tributes in song, as did Bronagh Lynch who began proceedings with a Decade of the Rosary in Irish.
Stephen Murphy and Paddy Burns, with their Last Post and lament respectively, ensured a fitting musical honour to the H-Block martyr.
Martin McCone provided the amplification. Speaking at the event, Michael McCreesh, a brother of Raymond, thanked all those who over the past 30 years had supported and remembered Raymond, his family and his comrades. He paid special tribute to Joe McElhaw who, he reminded those present, had presided over Raymond’s burial 30 years ago and was with him once again on this day, the 30th anniversary of his death.
Prior to the playing of the national anthem by pipers Seamus Loughran and Shane McClelland, a nephew of Raymond McCreesh, Pat McGinn, led those present in a reflective tribute to Brendan Higgins, a nephew of Raymond McCreesh who died suddenly recently and who was to be buried in his home in Perth, Australia, later.
Des Murphy, Chairperson of the organising Camloch/Derrymore/ Belleek 1981 Committee thanked all those present, which included Mayor of Newry and Mourne Mick Murphy, Newry and Armagh MP Conor Murphy MLA, and H-Blocks O/C at the time of the Hunger Strike Brendan ‘Bik’ McFarlane for attending the commemoration and helping to make it such a fitting dignified and appropriate tribute.